TEAM

TEAM

Sian TAYLOR GowanDirector & Producer

Founder and filmmaker of Red Scarf Films, Sian Taylor Gowan makes her directorial debut with "Surviving International Boulevard", bringing attention to the plight of local children and teens being sex trafficked in our midst. With a passion for social cause work and a professional background in nonprofit advertising and outreach, Sian has served as Board Member for Afghans4Tomorrow and as Advertising Director for progressive independent news site, AlterNet.org. Combining her creative production skills and nonprofit experience, Sian has created Red Scarf Films in order to produce social cause films for awareness and community action.

Kent KessingerCinematographer

Wielding a steady hand during night scenes on International Boulevard, Kent brought the street lights to life while respecting the concealed identity of sexually exploited victims. A documentarian himself, Kent has created works of art such as 'Pure Lung: Life In Honduras' where he spent five months closely documenting the lives of everyday people with few choices available to them. Kent has earned a Bachelor's degree in photojournalism from Appalachian State University, but he sees the world through his own lens.

Anna ShenCinematographer

A natural with the camera, Anna has worked on numerous short films as well as writing, producing, directing and editing her own biographical documentary, 'Clock', and a deeply engaging pseudo-romantic short, 'Meet Me Before The End'. Originally from Taiwan, Anna continues to perfect her craft at the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking 1-Year Program. Her artistic interpretations and flare for storytelling can be viewed here.

Keith E. Curry, Jr.Cinematographer

As a United States Veteran with 38 months of on-the-ground service, Keith has taken his life experiences and repurposed them into the art of storytelling and filmmaking. From edgy dramatic films to straight-forward commercial work, he has produced, directed, shot and edited a long list of projects for clients, fellow filmmakers, as well as his own film, 'Nothing'. Keith has earned a Certificate in Filmmaking from the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking and continues to shine as a filmmaker.

Mario EscobarEditor

Mario Escobar is an award winning director, producer and editor working out of the Outer Sunset in San Francisco. With a love of life's little narratives, Mario brings drive and passion to all projects he tackles. He has worked with SF Edit, Loteria Films, Glass Metal Stone, The Academy of Art University, Corvid Films, Shandobil Communications and scores of other folks in the Bay Area. His first feature length documentary 'The Pitch'. won Best Picture at the Bronx International Film Festival, and his work has screened on PBS, CSM, Broadcast television, the Mill Valley Film Festival, Brooklyn Underground Film Festival, and festivals throughout United States. He currently edits out of his Gorilla City Productions studio in Ocean Beach California with his best friend and constant companion Melvin dog by his side.

SABEREH KASHIEDITOR

Like Scheherazade, the Persian queen who saved the lives of women by telling stories for the tyrant king, Sabereh Kashi is a great storyteller. A national top-student of Arts, and Ph.D. holder in Iranian feminine archetypes, Sabereh is a documentary filmmakers and editor who has worked and lived in three countries and two continents. She brings a new sensibility, culture, and flavor to the documentaries that she edits, writes or provides story consultation. Aside from making short and long format documentaries, she has worked as editor for MTV Networks, and edited several feature-length documentaries including the ITVS-funded 'Our Summer in Tehran,' by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winner, Justine Shapiro. Kasha's films have been shown at worldwide festivals including HotDocs and the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, as well as PBS and international television networks. Sabereh is currently working on a self-portrait and transformational documentary called 'Home Yet Far Away.'

DIANNE GRIFFINCONSULTANT

Dianne has twenty five years producing and directing celebrated documentary films. Her internationally acclaimed documentary, White Hotel shot entirely in Eritrea, Africa, is distributed worldwide and was asked to be included in the permanent documentary collection at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Dianne’s current documentary film about to be released, Painted Nails, seeks to uncover dangerous health conditions for workers in United States nail salons.

JEREMIAH BIRNBAUMCONSULTANT

Jeremiah is the Co-Founder and President of Fog City Pictures and the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking. As a director, producer, editor and educator in filmmaking for over twenty years, he has earned awards for feature films such as TORN, Around June and many other productions. He holds Bachelor degrees in Film and Philosophy from Wesleyan University and attended the filmmaking program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

CHELSEY DUBIEL

Film marketing

Chelsey Dubiel is an award winning writer, director and producer. Combining a strong visual sense, a background in dance and a whimsical, yet analytical perspective on the world, Dubiel makes films that are graceful, engrossing and strive to push cinematic boundaries. She is an outspoken advocate for gender equality and currently works with Oakland based, Camp Reel Stories, where she creates and teaches film workshops to teen girls. In 2015, she received her MFA in film production and directing at the UCLA School of Film and Television.